All I can do is nod, a disbelieving smile on my face.
I think we’ll be coming back before another two years passes.
We spenta good day with Mom, filling her in on everything she’s missed, sometimes laughing (there was definitely more crying), and sometimes sitting in silence, her presence enough.
By the time mid-afternoon rolls around, we’ve gone through the picnic Rory brought for us, placed flowers and mementos around the headstone, and are packed up and heading back to the parking area.
Baby Laura Lee didn’t take any more steps, but the ones she did take felt like enough of a sign.
Once the baby is in the car and her bag is away, Rory pulls me in for a hug.
“I’m glad we did this,” she whispers into my shoulder.
I am, too, but I’m still mad at her.
Guess that’s fairly obvious when I don’t hug her back or respond.
She pulls back, hands cupping my cheeks, like she’s the big sister here. Like she’s always been here for me, like she didn’t leave Mom, and me, and Wyatt, and the rest of this town on a fucking whim.
Like she’s the only one that was hurt in our family, not the one who needed to get away from us so she could feel better.
“Can we just have today?” she asks, voice still soft and raw.
“Never know if I’ll get a tomorrow with you,” I bite back. “Here today, gone the next. The Aurora Weiss special.”
Her hands drop to her sides with a loud slap, and I almost flinch at the sound.
“I thought we got past this?”
I take a step back, sneaker squeaking on the pavement with the motion. “So you can hold a grudge against Dad for leaving our family, but I can’t feel the same about you?”
“Lex, I apologized. I spent months trying to make it right. We talked all this out years ago. Why are you doing this now?”
The pit in my stomach gnaws, pulling more of me into that knot I’ve had ever since I started lying to her. But she won’t listen to reason when it comes to Dad, it’s not like she gave me a choice.
“I’m not doing anything. You’re the one who’s wasting the only time you’ll get with our one remaining parent.”
“Wait. Are you saying you’renotwasting it?”
My eyes latch onto hers, but my mouth stays shut.
“Alexis. Are you in contact with Dad?”
“Did you want me to wait until he tells us he’s dying? Is that the etiquette from theRory Handbook on Dealing with Parents?”
Her jaw drops, hand flying to her open mouth.
“That was low, even for you,” she says, lower lip trembling.
“Is that what it’s going to take?” I push. “You’re going to pretend he doesn’t exist until he’s on his deathbed, like you did with Mom? What if we don’t get a warning with him, huh? What if you wake up one day and get a message that he’s gone?”
She shakes her head, jaw clenched tight.
“You still going to be glad you’ve punished him all those years? I thought you were the ‘smart one’ of the family.” I give her air quotes. “But you’re being really fucking dumb about this.”
I turn and stomp toward my car, her voice hollering after me.
“You’re going to ruin our relationship over our father? The piece of shit who cheated on Mom? After the last few years, Alexis?”
